Mitch in bicycle repair is amazing. Great mechanic and customer service. Thank you for all your help and tuning of my bicycle. I will be in to pick up up mid April read more

Bottom Line: The people the work here actually know things....this is confusing to me Every single dammed time I walk into an REI I have this bizarre experience. The people that work there actually have experience with the products and then they go about being helpful about stuff. This always throws me off because I am SO used to walking into a shop and everyone that works there has NO idea about anything. My most recent visit to Sears was such a painful reminder of that and raises questions about how/why these people work where they do. Either way every time I visit an REI the person that I talk to at least knows the product or has used it in a practical application. "Nahhh man - you want THIS stove. *brushes dreadlocks aside* when I was out at burning man this worked perfect for me" thats an exaggeration but.....a nutshell. Quite a lot of the time they are practicing what they are preaching. This last time I was in looking for a helmet for my toddler and they made it about as easy as it could have been. As much as I always am a cheerleader for local business, these guys are always good and their prices are pretty fair. read more

I had a great experience at this store a few weeks ago with a manager bri! She was so helpful and sweet and talked to us about great local hiking trails and places to take our dogs. read more

Glad we have an REI in town. Great for all kinds of sports and outdoors stuff. Even though it's near downtown, parking is usually pretty easy and available in the lot in the back. Stuff is usually on the pricier end, but I would say it's worth the quality. read more

While this REI is pretty much the same as others, there is one difference. The staff is not as courteous. I had a problem with a pair of skis that were brought into the shop for some work and the bindings ended up getting damaged. The skis were bought at REI and they refused to take any responsibility for what happened. Beware of using the shop services, customer service at REI has really gone downhill, very sad to see. I spoke with a manger who was at first apologetic and then turned very rude. They lost a long time customer for life. read more

Normally good, but service has been slipping a bit the last few years. Bought some smaller items (that added up to $82!) including a food item. Clerk who rang me up was more interested in chatting with co-worker to even thank me. And when I asked for a small bag, she grabbed one from a stool that she was sitting on! Needless to say, I went hungry after that... read more

They said they had two watches in stock. Drove 60 miles out of my way to get the watch, but they couldn't find it in stock, even though they said they had two. I believe lazy isn't very good customer service. I would avoid REI and their dishonest employees. They are other stored that aren't as overpriced with better customer service. read more

REI - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I stopped in here with my friend to pick up a tent and sleeping bag for our trip to Big Sur. We wanted something compact and affordable that would meet our needs during our weekend camping getaway but could also accompany on my road trip and future camping trips. Piper and Julia were the most amazing help! We were guided to exactly what we needed and even found a perfect tent on sale. Both women answered all of our questions and took time to make sure that we got everything we needed. They even made great suggestions of things to do in Santa Barbara and while we camped in Big Sur. Thanks so much ladies - our camping trip ended up a ton of fun and we appreciate all of your help! read more

I've never been to an REI where they're not dog friendly. Super strict about that policy too. Smaller store with not great selection.

I've never felt so uncomfortable in an REI before today. First off I have to say I love REI, so this was a very unusual experience, but seeing as others have posted similar accounts I feel it's important to share our short story. My partner and I went in to return a product we weren't satisfied with, we've done this before as we buy all our outdoor gear at REI. However, not only were we interrogated about it, but the woman helping us kept putting words in our months about us being the kind of people who "get board of products and return them just for the money". Ultimately she refused to take the return, saying that she couldn't do it in "good conscious", but that we could speak to the manager, which we did. Thankfully the manager was very kind and returned the product without making us feel like criminals. Lastly, thanks to everyone else who posted about this type of interaction, it made us feel less targeted. read more

Honestly where do I start every time I've gone into the Santa Barbara REI I'm greeted with such happy employees! You can really tell they love what they do and enjoy coming to work every day. I've brought my bikes to there bike shop and one of the employees "Kat" Which has helped me out every time does such an amazing job! I feel bad because I can't remember the other peoples names but they're all just so friendly. I highly recommend REI for bike needs or any outdoor questions, Equipment, Questions Etc. I Especially highly recommend their bike shop due to the fast quick and thorough work they do? Rock on REI read more

The staff is very helpful. The return policy is generous. The salesperson told me even if I had ridden the bike I could bring it back for an exchange at any time. I bought a bike here and the sale includes a free tune up. I can take the bike to any REI, not just this one which is convenient because I travel a lot. The store is located in a quaint historic looking building with some exposed timber. There was lots of parking, although the slots looked like they were designed for compact cars. REI customers are often people who drive larger off road/suv type vehicles. read more

Love this store and love REI's committment to quality and service.

So good store if you restaff it, besides from being really expensive they have some cool stuff in there. Anyway so there i was shopping around having a good day and being a member of their Co-op i thought it would be ok if i checked out the store but apparently i didn't fit their ideal costumer look and was bothered every two minutes by a snobby acting employee asking if i needed help. Then a overweight girl with bad skin approached claiming to be the manager. She proceeded to tell me that she could take my back pack with everything i was trying to steal up to the front. Wow now, excuse you! I told them they could look through my back pack and that I hadn't put anything in it. She said she couldnt so I voluntarily opened it up for them to see and took everything out so they could, guess what..., nothing stolen whatsoever. Now instead of being apologetic she was very rude and self righteous about it. I left the store leaving what i had gathered to buy on the table. I entered REI in a good mood but left feeling less than and unwelcome in a place i paid extra to be more a part of their lame Co-op. i was profiled and thought of as a thief as soon as i walked in the door. I thought REI was better than that and the experience was foul asf, so ill end it there and just say Fu@k you REI you shouldn't act like your better than anyone or assume to know anybody. I might not where Patagonia or drive a tesla but that doesn't mean I'm a thief read more

So I finally broke down and bought an REI membership when visiting a friend in Bend. I received a $20 gift card to be used at a letter date. Unfortunately I was evacuated during the time to use the card because of the Thomas Fires. I went I today to this location to ask if I could use my card. One of the managers was quite unmoved and couldn't care less about my circumstances. I will not be buying anything at this REI EVER again especially because they obviously don't understand the community in which they operate. Disgusting. read more

Great customer service. REI never lets me down! Hannah took great care of me and Craig was extremely helpful when I needed a new sleeping pad. read more

Having borrowed a friend's backpack for my last couple of backpacking treks, I've decided it's time to ante up and purchase one of my own. This place has it all. More importantly, it has knowledgeable experts who will help you make the right selection. If you're looking to buy a backpack, ask for Devin; he's very passionate about the outdoor experience. He listens to you and gives you options on what to consider - and what to steer clear of - before making a purchase. Great guy and great store. read more

Love the place and their products! But cmon an outdoorsman style sporting goods store that doesn't allow dogs?! I really think that this is a policy they should reconsider. Parking is a little questionable are this location so try to avoid peak hours. I would have definitely given this place a 5-star review otherwise. read more

I would give 5 stars, because I love REI, and they have a wonderful and helpful store manager (Sarah). Unfortunately, the staff member we had the misfortune of talking to today was awful. I will not say her name, as I do realize this is someone's job... but wow. She did not have a straightforward answer for us and kept giving us answers such as "I don't know", "maybe call the manufacturer", etc. - which is fine, as she mentioned she was new. We asked to speak to the manager 3 times and she kept repeating that her manager wouldn't be able to speak with us. Finally after the 3rd time, she called her manager, rolled her eyes, and started laughing to herself. This was a very uncomfortable situation and definitely not the customer service experience we are used to at REI. read more

This store is a solid choice for most of your outdoor supplies. I have two issues: the parking is terrible, and some of the employees are rude or incompetent. About 12 businesses use the lot, plus plenty who want free parking near State Street. So: get there at a weird time, or walk from a pay lot. Meg in the shoe department is especially great. I have unusually shaped feet that are hard to fit, and she takes the time to get me set. Once I went in and got some new hiking boots: she asked what they were for (hiking in Norway) and described tradeoffs for different degrees of waterproofing (fully waterproof: not breathable -vs- less waterproof: more leaks). When they wore out, I went in and got the worst service yet from a large, blunt guy. "You want waterproof boots? These are our waterproof boots." I pointed out another pair with the tag "waterproof". "Those are our other waterproof boots." So I eased on out. Last time I was there, he strode toward me down the aisle like he wanted to run me down, so I got out of his way. Other employees ignore or insult you, but this guy must be the manager to be so obnoxious. Without Meg, this REI would get 2 stars. read more

This store is a detriment to the REI Brand. I returned an online order in store and instead of processing a return, they charged me for the item again. I called to speak to the store manager who told me I'd have to come back in a run my card since I was not an REI Member. He told me that was the point of a membership is so they can track orders, (that's wrong. It's a co-op) essentially telling me I needed to pay them $20 for basic service. Time to up your game REI SB, you're better than this. read more

If I could give less I would, checked ups for delivery but rei shipped it usps, now my $70 headlight is floating around somewhere. Customer service blames ups for choosing US Mail, nowhere does it say they might change carriers. Hope saving that penny in shipping was worth losing a customer for good!! read more

This one goes out to Meg in the shoe department. She is amazing patient and is very knowledgeable about shoes. Thank you Meg for out fitting us with our outdoor needs. She's is a A+ #1 shooting star and makes the shoe buying experience so much fun. read more

I'm not sure what the problem is.. maybe because I'm fat??? The service people totally ignore me. I've been in a few times to buy things and couldn't get help. The last two times were the worst. Today took the cake! Two sales people practically walked right into me and never asked if I needed help or acknowledged that they almost collided with me. I walked into the shoe department and picked out a couple of trail shoes to try on. The sales person totally ignored me, while waiting on three other people who arrived after me. I get better service at Big 5!! Bye Bye REI!!! read more

I went into the Santa Barbara Rei with my wife and daughter to buy a hiking backpack. We began fitting the pack for my daughter. Once we started fitting the pack an employee eager to help attempted to assist, but he just fumbled around trying to figure out the fitting template. He became frustrated and disappeared. Once he left we quickly figured out the 2 different templates (Gregory & Osprey). We narrowed the pack choice down to 2 packs/sizes. Then another employee came over and said the pack my daughter was wearing looked about right, and offered to tweak it and add weight to be certain. He seemed like an expert compared to the first employee so we accepted his assistance. The pack we choose fit and wasn't uncomfortable, so we moved on to check for trekking shoes. We asked the shoe guy if the instore Rei had the same promotion as the online store. He said it wasn't possible and we would have to order online. We thanked him for his help and began to leave to place our order online. The manager approached us and said there was a 45 dollar pack fitting fee unless we bought a pack in store immediately. There was no sign posted, nor did any employees ever mention this fee. We reluctantly purchased the pack to avoid the extortion fee. We then drove to the Oxnard Rei and immediately returned the pack The return employee asked why we were returning and we told her about our Santa Barbara experience. She called her manager whom after hearing our story was appalled. He returned the pack, and insisted on getting more information about the previous store/manager. He then called the Rei corporation to report the Santa Barbara store for non approved policies/behavior. Once he hung up he assured us the other manager would be "re-educated" . Avoid the Santa Barbara store and go to Oxnard, we will. The Oxnard store was also able to honour the online promotion. read more

I'm really happy with REI! REI is just an overall awesome store!! The REI that I go to the most frequently is the Santa Barbara one~I like that they have an attended that makes sure that only customers use the parking, so I can always find a spot! More importantly I like the employees and I specially appreciate the managers Tyler and Bradly!! They both go out of their way to make REI customers-feel welcomed-plus they ALWAYS have genuine smiles and great attitudes to match! Tyler and Bradley's professional, cheerful, helpful and upbeat personalities really make a huge difference for me and I think this spreads a good energy along to the other employees as well (I KNOW IT DOES)! Thanks guys for the great customer service and for the consistent GOOD VIBES!!! REI really nailed it by making theses 2 guys managers!!! See you soon!! read more

There's confident competence and then there's confident incompetence. I'm a long-time REI member. I remember getting great advice from staff here in years past. But it pains me to say that interactions I had with staff in the last couple of months suggest either the hiring process or the training process is slack, and is selecting for the wrong type of confidence. One guy wouldn't admit he didn't know what I was asking for and just made something up when he should have passed my question to someone else. I had to insist on talking to another sales rep. The other two interactions came from the man who was in charge of the camping/emergency gear sections. He confidently gave bad high-elevation camping advice for a major mountain range based on his experience in SoCal. I know better, but the customers he was talking to didn't. Always read up on what you need for the conditions you're expecting before you shop for gear. Bad advice from a self-designated expert can have dangerous consequences in the outdoors. read more

REI is a great place for my outdoor needs! This is my go to place for my all my cycling and hiking equipment. The staff here are great and always very helpful. read more

I don't know how it happened that I have fallen out of love with REI. But I think when I started looking for s-p-e-c-i-f-i-c shoes which give my toes the room they need to splay after having had some injuries. I realized that I now know more about certain brands of these shoes than all of the people working there. They used words like minimalist to mean zero drop. I'm not sure they understand zero drop. You can try to train people on the different in toe boxes or minimalist vs. maximalist, but you can't make them be passionate about it, and you can't make them retain that knowledge if it doesn't matter to them. They spew out half truths about shoes that they haven't worn or that work for most people, never mind your actual foot. And the shoes they have are mostly a style that doesn't work for me - I'm not exactly hitting the trails, so there is no point in a trail shoe for me. And that's what they had. So I picked shoes that were the same brand and as close in style to what I was looking for as possible. The guy there got argumentative with me and said something about how if I didn't want a trail shoe, that I kept asking to try on trail shoes. Seriously? How can I try on anything else? He told me that corporate picks the shoes to sell based on sales to that area, so I snotted right back him and asked him how corporate calculates in people who come in to try stuff on and don't buy anything. When he suggested I try online, I started thinking about all the other online type retailers I can go to like Moosejaw (which also gives 10% back) or Sierra Trading Post which offers great closeout deals. I mean, why stick with REI? Not only that, it went from zero people to 3 in the shoe department and I felt like I was getting short shrift. I had to ask for multiple sizes because things weren't fitting right, and my expectations of fit have also changed. I spent alot of time waiting around. I tried to be nice, and keep myself busy but felt extremely frustrated that they didn't understand what I was talking about. And I'm sure they felt frustrated that I wasn't an easy sale. If trail shoes and boots work for you, then great. read more

Went to REI Santa Barbara to return something, well within their return policy. The store is not well stocked for kids or for petite women, so I order mostly on line. This means I return things. The cashier today told me that REI is not a rental company for their customers and that since 50% of my orders are returns and I buy mostly from their outlet my shopping behavior is a red flag for them. I've been a member of the co-op for a long time; longer than they've had a store in SB. Besides being embarrassed and angry, I wonder if he would have said the same thing to a big buff guy. I called to speak with the manager, who was very understanding and agreed this was not appropriate customer service behavior, but I doubt I will order or go into the store again. There are many other options. read more

I purchased a pair of boots last december to wear as my daily drivers. about 4 months into wearing said boots, a large section of the seam came undone. the man who rang me up at the counter explained to me that my purchase could be returned within a year if there were any problems with it. I went in earlier today and explained what had happened and asked what we could do about it. i intended to exchange or return these boots. after spending less than a minute inspecting the boots, the lady at the counter plainly said to me that "our policy does not include normal wear and tear" and how she could do nothing. I pointed out that an entire section of seam had come undone before the tread on the soles had even began to wear. i explained that when you spend nearly $200 on footwear, you would expect it to last more than a year. let alone 4 months. Then she had me wait for another associate to come over and say the same exact thing to me, and when i went to leave, they insisted that i wait to speak to a manager. and i did. and the manager came. after the second associate explained her very biased view of the return, the manager explained the same thing to me. wasted my money and my time, after being given the option to make a return if there were issues with the product. read more

Sweet looking older lady that worked here answered my questions then said she would "look in the back" for a jacket size i wanted. She did not go to the back. She went directly to the other side of the store to help more people. I am not trying to seem impatient but how can you help anyone if you stop at "i'm not sure?" Another male worker offered to help and asked who helped me previously as i was waiting patiently for the lady to return and then asked if it was "her" and pointed to the lady who had never returned to tell me she "couldn't find" the jacket. read more

It's a clean store, and well kept. But reminds me a lot when Patagonia went "upscale"; nicer display racks and a price to match. Paying 30-40% more over online stores just to get a 10% co-op check at the end of the year seems silly. read more

They followed me around the store as I looked for a new tire pump because i left mine in LA and then asked me questions about cycling as if they had never seen a black guy on a road bike before. Other than that typical REI, overly expensive products and a sad bicycle department. read more

I went in today to find a new backpack for my upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon, and the staff was extremely helpful. I have been hiking for quite awhile, but my backpacks have never fit very well. The guy that helped me gave a bunch of great advice on how to fit a backpack properly, and I really appreciated how he took the time to load it with weight to simulate how it would feel on the trail. Great backpacks are not cheap, but I left feeling like I made a great purchase, got great info, a proper fit, and all that for cheaper than Amazon has the Gregory pack for. Kudos to these guys that actually know what they are talking about. read more

Great sports store for the serious outdoorsman ... if camping, hiking, mountaineering, cycling etcetera etcetera is your favorite activity and you are looking for gear, this store won't let you down. Lots of great brands to score from and of course their own REI brand ... usually as good as all the familiar big names but at a much friendlier price. Don't hesitate to become a member for 20 bucks a year ... it will pay itself back in no time. There is a 10% dividend on items bought and the exchange and / or return period is a full year! Staff is very knowledgable and friendly. read more

I love REI- where else can you feel sporty while doing absolutely nothing physical. Customer service is generally excellent. But, on recent visit (3/12/15, evening) a guy helping us had terrible body odor. To the extent that it was difficult to remain in the store. As this seems to be a personal choice (I hope it's nothing more than that), and his product knowledge seemed pretty thin - well this is an issue management needs to address. read more

Let me just start by saying we love REI and hit every store from Santa Barbara to Santa Monica on a regular basis. This includes Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Woodland Hills, Burbank, Manhattan Beach, and Santa Monica. Four weeks ago, I went in to try on some La Sportiva trail running shoes, and there was no one in the shoe department for a very long time and people were piling up to try on shoes. My wife finally asked another person putting way clothes to find an attendant. The associate goes into the back room and brings out a sales assistant that seemed to prefer hiding in the back room than dealing with customers. The other attendant hinted as much as he dragged her out. When I pointed out the shoes I was interested in she immediately started a condescending lecture on how I was incorrect on using the term "narrow" to describe La Sportiva shoes, despite the fact that I only used that term after hearing it used from numerous other REI shoe assistants at different REI stores regarding how La Sportiva European sizes differ from regular US sizes. She basically scolded us. I ended up buying the same shoes elsewhere. Then, three weeks later, after finding out that some hiking boots we bought at REI were difficult to fit with crampons, I called several associates at different SoCal stores to find if any locations had some for me to try on with our boots. None did, and one associate told me to order a few and have them delivered to my local store and try them on with my boots. He said they would be happy to do this for me. So bought and shipped some crampons to my local REI and brought in my boots when the purchases arrived. The associate at the register acted put off when I asked her to open the box and rolled her eyes at another coworker. In order to say out of the way of other pending purchases, I offered to move my items to an unused register, and got another eye roll. She was even more appalled when I said I would keep the items and set the aside at the far corner to buy more things in the bike section. In the bike section, just a few feet way, I could hear her lamenting to her coworker about the stuff I left on the counter. I left the store, with my very expensive items, feeling like I did something wrong. This is in contrast to the REI in Manhatten Beach, where an associate finding me trying on climbing shoes invited me to try their wall and another associate spoke in depth about mountaineering routes on Mount Whitney. I spend a lot of money at REI and I love the chain. However, I will not be returning to this store ever again. I'm also returning my purchases today and going to buy them online from someone else. This is no way to treat people. I will say that the bike shop at this REI are very friendly, trustful and knowledgeable. A+ to the bike shop, but stay away from everything else at this particular store. read more

We shop here for basically all our outdoor gear. I'm usually an online shopper bc I find retail so frustrating, with most retail employees never knowing what they are talking about - BUT - that is not the case here. So I still old fashioned "shop" here bc I prefer to talk to someone. We also get our bikes repaired here. They've assembled bicycles here for us that we had shipped in when we were traveling, that weren't something they carried. We did the learn to ride crash course for our 5 year old last spring and he was riding within 40 minutes. Their methodology was excellent and the instructor was super keen. Keep it up! read more

I was on a road trip for a month and had to visit Rei in different cities. I always found what I needed and was always helped as good as it gets! Thank you Rei for being such an awesome store, with a great philosophy! read more